Rural Health Clinic Vaccine Confidence (RHCVC) Program
Rural Health Clinic Vaccine Confidence (RHCVC) Program
Program Summary
The Rural Health Clinic Vaccine Confidence (RHCVC) Program supports vaccine outreach in rural communities. These efforts include the following:
Helping to increase vaccine confidence and uptake;
Improving health care in rural areas;
Reinforcing basic messages about prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases;
Accessing vaccinations;
Education and outreach efforts around vaccine benefits and safety;
Vaccine promotion;
Providing information to rural residents about how and where to get vaccinated; and
Coordinating with existing vaccination sites and public health partners to identify isolated and/or vaccine hesitant populations.
The RHCVC Program is a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) initiative to improve vaccine confidence and counter vaccine hesitancy in rural communities where COVID-19 vaccine uptake lags in comparison to more populated areas.
The program will address health equity gaps by offering support and resources to medically underserved rural communities.
Program Details
Over 1,980 CMS-certified RHCs applied for grants through the RHCVC Program. HRSA made grant awards to RHC organizations based on the number of certified clinic sites they operate, providing approximately $49,500 per clinic site.
Eligibility: Medicare-certified Rural Health Clinics and organizations that own and operate Medicare-certified Rural Health Clinics. All RHCs must have active CMS Certification Numbers (CCNs) and be listed in the CMS Quality, Certification and Oversight Reports (QCOR).
Financial Management Reviews
Starting February 22, 2022, HRSA will begin limited Financial Management Reviews (FMR) of all RHC Vaccine Confidence grant recipients who have not already had a recent FMR completed or who have not had a recent single audit performed. HRSA’s Division of Financial Integrity (DFI), located within the Office of Federal Assistance Management (OFAM), will perform these reviews. Their goal is to determine your organization’s capability for financial management of federal funds. The FMR can help you ensure that your organizational policies include the necessary financial management categories needed to administer your awards according to federal regulations and grant terms and conditions. Please reach out to rhcvaxconfidence@HRSA.gov with any questions about this process.
Webinars
First Quarter Review Calls
The first quarter review regional calls took place October 21st – 29th, 2021 and provided grantees with an opportunity to share early program successes. The link below has a recording of key program updates shared on the calls.
The second quarter review calls took place January 25th, 27th, and 31st, 2022. Each of the three calls featured different RHCVC grantees who shared examples of vaccine confidence building activities in their communities. The following links provide recordings of key program updates shared on the calls and the grantee presentations.
RHCVC Program Second Quarter Review Call Recordings:
HRSA’s RHCVC program staff hosted the third quarter review call on April 28, 2022. They provided an overview of close out procedures and no cost extension prior approval requests. Please email the program inbox at rhcvaxconfidence@HRSA.gov if you would like a pdf of the slides.
*Persons using assistive technology may not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please email Lisa Chechile or call 301-443-0835.